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CRPH announces National Unity Government - ASSK and Win Myint reappointed, Duwa Lashi La as acting President; half of new cabinet are ethnic minorities (but Rakhine, Shan are not); TNLA recognizes NUG, while AA stays aloof as calls for international recognition grow; ASEAN summit planned for April 24 in Jakarta; UN accedes to Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char
- National Unity Government formed: The CRPH announced today the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG), with Dr. Sasa calling the NUG "a hard break from the past military and civilian governments" and representing "true compromise" among elected MPs, ethnic armed groups, and political party and civil society leaders. Win Myint was reappointed as President and ASSK as State Counsellor; an ethnic Kachin, Duwa Lashi La, was appointed as the NUG's Vice President (and acting President) and the ethnic Karen and CRPH-appointed Vice President (and former speaker of the upper house of parliament), Mahn Win Khaing Than, was appointed Prime Minister. Among the 26 member cabinet of ministers and deputy ministers, half belong to ethnic minorities and eight are women. Significantly, however, there are not any ethnic Rakhine or Shan representatives in the NUG and, unsurprisingly, there are no Rohingya (though in his announcement of the NUG, Dr. Sasa said "We will deliver justice for our Rohingya brothers, sisters and for all"). It is possible, however, that these groups will be better represented in the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), which is expected to be announced next week. Also of note: the CRPH appointed Ministers of Home Affairs and Defense, ministries that are controlled by the military under the (already abolished by the CRPH) 2008 Constitution. Residents in Yangon celebrated the formation of the NUG with five minutes of clapping at 7:30pm.
- A breakdown of the NUG cabinet: Among leaders of the CRPH, Zin Mar Aung retains the Minister of Foreign Affairs post; Win Myat Aye, former Minister of Social Welfare, stays on as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management; Dr. Sasa becomes Minister of International Cooperation; and Zaw Wai Soe continues to control the health and education ministries. Among other notable appointees are: Ei Thinzar Maung (recently profiled here), a 27 year-old labor leader and human rights activist , was appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Youths, and Children Affairs (a new ministry); Lian Hmung Sakhong, a Vice Chair of the Chin National Front and active in peace negotiations, was appointed Minister of Federal Union Affairs. Here is the full list of cabinet members, posted on the NUG's Twitter and a new website; The Irrawaddy has a useful who's who in the cabinet.
- Recognition and calls for recognition: A member of the Northern Alliance which also includes the Arakan Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army appears to be first among ethnic armed groups to recognize the NUG. While the chief of the Arakan Army said they were invited to join the NUG, he said the Arakan Army "chose not to join because of our own stance" (though it is unclear if the AA was invited or if the AA chief is referring more broadly to ethnic Rakhine). The formation of the NUG has led to renewed calls for international recognition, including from the CDM and the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, which further called for the NUG to accede to the Rome Statute as a means of holding the Tatmadaw accountable at the ICC. The NUG-appointed Minister of Home Affairs said several countries are preparing to officially recognize the NUG as the legitimate leaders of the country.
- Formation of People's Defense Forces as precursor to federal army: In the press conference announcing the NUG, newly appointed ministers mentioned that "People's Defense Forces" would soon be formed as a precursor to the establishment of a federal army. The movement towards a right to self-defense has been telegraphed by CRPH for some time, though it is not yet clear how these forces might be formed; the Tatmadaw could very well view the move as provocative and as justifying a further escalation of violence. Separately, an "Ayeyarwaddy Federal Army" was reportedly formed.
- A new, more inclusive Myanmar? In a thoughtful article, former UN Special Rapporteur Carlos Sardina Galache argues that for decades "the project of building a nation-state from the centre to the peripheries has failed" and that it is time "for a leap into the unknown: the attempt to build a different Myanmar from the peripheries to the centre." Crucially, though, he warns of the importance of moving beyond the concept of "national races" which, if not addressed, could leave out the Rohingya and others (like ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian Burmese).
- Civilians killed, explosions in Yangon, journalists deatined: Six civilians were reported killed in Kani (Sagaing) as a result of a shootout between security forces and a local civil defense group. And in a continuing trend, several explosions were reported across Yangon. According to UNESCO, more than 70 journalists have now been arrested, with half still in detention.
- Heavy fighting continues in Kachin: Heavy fighting continued in Kachin and northern Shan between the KIA and the Tatmadaw, with two military officers reported killed in Northern Shan. There are also reports that the Tatmadaw used Chinese airspace conduct airstrikes on a strategic base recently retaken by the KIA, with several shells falling in Chinese territory.
- International response
- ASEAN summit planned for April 24: More than a month after first raising the possibility of an ASEAN leaders summit, ASEAN heads of state will meet in Jakarta for an ASEAN summit on April 24, the first in-person summit since the start of COVID. Ahead of the summit, ASEAN leaders are discussing the possibility of appointing a Special Envoy as well as a humanitarian aid mission to Myanmar, preceded by a pause in hostilities and potentially followed by dialogue between the Tatmadaw and the ousted government (though that appears unlikely with Dr. Sasa branding Min Aung Hlaing as the "murderer-in-chief"). Controversially, it appears that Min Aung Hlaing will be invited to the summit to brief participants, while representatives of CRPH will not be included. Last week, a statement convened by Nobel Laureate and former President of East Timor Jose Romas-Horta called for ASEAN to recognize the CRPH and the NUG, to send a special envoy to Myanmar, and for other ASEAN mechanisms to be invoked. In a separate op-ed coauthored with the former president of Finland, Ramos Horta makes the case - which seems extremely unlikely given its history - that the Tatmadaw is capable of letting go of its "narrow and outdated understanding of security."
- NUG's asks of the international community: Beyond recognition, the NUG's newly-appointed Foreign Minister, Zin Mar Aung, called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, an arms embargo and no fly zones, and for foreign banks to "stop honoring financial transactions involving banks owned by the Myanmar military."
- POSCO to cut ties with MEHL, protests against Chevron: Under intense pressure from activists, South Korean steel company POSCO is ending its joint venture with the military conglomerate MEHL, though POSCO still has deep ties to the oil and gas industries in Myanmar. Protests were also held Friday against Chevron, which continues to make payments to the state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.
- UN accedes to Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char: The UN appears to have given up hopes of conducting technical and protection assessments on Bhasan Char, where some 18,000 Rohingya have already been relocated since December. Following a March mission to the island, the first by the UN, UNHCR said "Rohingya refugees were generally positive about their experiences," proposed further talks about possible UN engagement on the island, and recommended "that any future relocations are undertaken in a gradual and phased manner," thus acknowledging that relocations will continue despite earlier demands that independent assessments serve as a prerequisite for relocations. The UN apparently requested that Bangladesh develop an emergency plan for severe weather events, address education for Rohingya children, increasing heights of embankments (to prevent flooding), and better communication systems. If the UN does not provide services on the island, Bangladesh says it will demand 10% the funds raised for Rohingya in Bangladesh.
Steve Ross
Senior Advisor and Program Director
Richardson Center for Global Engagement
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